Gosport

Gosport's population expanded in the 10 years leading up to the latest census. At the same time there were changes in religion, housing tenure and health.

The population reached nearly 83,000

In the 10 years leading up to 2011, the population of Gosport increased by 8.1%, from just over 76,400 to 82,600.

The addition of just over 6,200 people means this area's population increased at a similar rate to the overall population of England (up 7.9% since the 2001 census).

In 2011, Gosport was home to, on average, 23 people per football pitch-sized piece of land.

Population density was higher than the average across the South East

Population density (usual residents per football pitch-sized piece of land) across the South East, March 2011 (larger dots represent greater increase since 2001)

An older Gosport

Census 2011 data also show a change in the local population's average age.

Between the last two censuses, the median age of Gosport increased by three years, from 37 to 40 years.

This service economy area had a slightly higher average age than the South East and became slightly older than the average local authority area across England (39 years of age).

The rise in age was because of an increase of just under 2,300 people between the ages of 60 and 69 years, while the population between 30 and 39 years decreased by almost 2,000.

About 11% of people in Gosport are aged between 60 and 69 years

Percentage of usual residents in England, South East and Gosport by 10 year age band, March 2001 and March 2011

Religion in Gosport

The number of people in Gosport that described themselves as having no religion increased from just under 13,000 in 2001 to just over 27,000 in 2011. This represents a change from 17% to 33% of the local population.

The percentage increased by more than the average across the South East (from 17% to 28%) and the average across England (from 15% to 25%).

The number of people in Gosport that described themselves as Christian decreased from about 58,000 in 2001 to about 49,000 in 2011 (from 75% to 59%). The number of people who did not disclose their religious affiliation increased from just over 5,400 to just under 5,600. However, as a percentage of the total population, this represented a decrease from 7.1% to 6.7%.

About 450 people (0.3%) said they were Muslim, up from about 240 in 2001 (0.6%).

There are many factors that can cause changes to the religious profile of an area, such as migration and varying fertility rates between religious groups. Changes may also be caused by differences in the way individuals choose to self-identify between censuses.

The population without a religion in Gosport increased by 16 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents in England, South East and Gosport by religion, March 2001 and March 2011

Disability in Gosport

Gosport saw the South East's largest fall in the proportion of people who aren't limited by a long-term health problem or disability.

In 2011, just over 9 in 10 (90%) in Gosport reported not being limited in their day-to-day activities, compared with 91% in 2001. The percentage who are considerably limited by a long-term health problem or disability increased from 2.9% to 3.6%.

Across the region, New Forest saw the next largest decrease in the proportion of people who aren't limited by a long-term health problem or disability (from 90% in 2001 to 88% in 2011).

The proportion of people who aren't limited by a long-term health problem or disability was lower than across the South East

Percentage of usual residents that reported not being limited in their day-to-day activities across local authority areas in the South East and the average across England, March 2011

Fewer people worked long hours

Long hour working fell in Gosport, but at a slower rate than all other local authority areas in the South East.

Every local authority area across the South East saw a fall in the proportion of people working long hours, as the regional average fell from 14% to 11%.

During this period, Gosport went from having the 56th-highest to the 16th-lowest percentage of long hours workers out of 309 English local authority areas.

Long hour working was lower than across the South East

Percentage of usual residents aged 16 to 74 (in employment the week before the Census 2011) that said they had worked over 49 hours the week before completing the census across local authority areas in the South East and the average across England, March 2011

Rise in private renting

The percentage of households in Gosport that rented privately increased from 8.6% to 16% in the 10 years leading up to 2011.

In 2011, just under one in six (16%) households lived in social housing, compared with 18% in 2001. The percentage of Gosport households that owned their home decreased from 72% to 65%.

The proportion of privately rented homes increased faster here than the figure for the whole of the South East (from 10% in 2001 to 16% in 2011). Across England, the proportion increased from 9.9% to 17%.

Private renting in Gosport increased by 7.7 percentage points

Percentage of households in Gosport, the South East and England that rented privately, March 2001 and March 2011

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